Sunday March 28, 2004 10:45 a.m.
Groomer Sighting…..yes I saw the grayling groomer
this morning on the way here to frederic. It was
parked alongside the barn at Fays Motel. I wonder if
its going to stay there all summer? I suppose seeing that
it seems like everything is over that I will slow up on
my updates to maybe a couple times a week. Thank You to
everybody that read my ramblings thru the winter and to
those of you who stopped in to say hi or pick up the things
you needed. Remember thru the rest of the year that I do
screenprinting and embroidery and signs for people and
businesses. T-Shirts,Sport Shirts, Jackets, Hats, Sweatshirts
etc…..I need to sell lots of it or its back to the spam
line….I am in and out of here most everyday during the
rest of the year but dont really keep any regular hours. If
you need anything just call and if you miss me leave a message
and I will call you back..Thanks again for a great season…Pete
————————————-
Saturday Noon Thirty,
I have been trying to get this page uploaded since
10:30 and havent been able to make it go, now it
seems like things are finally freed up. Dont know what
the deal has been with it…….
Saturday March 27, 2004 10:30 a.m.
Its about 40 out this morning and a cloudy calm
morning. We have lost alot of snow in the past few
days, the woods are starting to show patchy spots
out there. A couple things I have been forgeting to
put on here is the new businesses in the great white
north. You know its always exciting when something new
comes in. In Gaylord the Wal Mart Super Center opened
up last week along with its new strip mall. We had to
go check that out and along with that we took the kids
to the new Scooby Doo movie last night. In grayling the
Route 72 Auto Wash opened up out by The Ole Barn. Its
a tunnel wash so thats a first for grayling and a new
coffee shop opened up downtown grayling too called Just
Jenns. So thats about all the excitement for now from here,
thanks for checking in. Pete
————————————–
Friday March 26, 2004 9:30 a.m.
Its a foggy morning with drizzle and lots of fog here
in frederic. Schools are delayed 2 hours in grayling
today because of the fog. It was up to about 60 yesterday
and I finally lost all the ice on the north side of the
building here. Lake Maragrethe went from looking good
to ride on to scary yesterday. I went down to Houghton
Lake yesterday and that looked pretty good and I couldnt
believe how many people I saw out there ice fishing.
Still alot of snow in the woods as you get just north
of higgins lake. I am still trying to help grandma sell
her house so anybody that wants a place close to higgins
lake or a snowmobile get away give me a call…..As far
as a trail report for this area there isnt anything to
say about them, off trail only for the die hards. I got
a report from Diane at the Fox River Motel in Seney yesterday
and that looks like your best spot if you want to try one
more time this season, I am posting her report from
yesterday so here it comes and thanks for checking in…Pete..
I think the spring thaw has officially started. Temperatures in the
upper 40’s started yesterday and are predicted thru the week-end. We
also had some really heavy, wet, misty fog last night. The groomers did
go out last night. The operators called in this morning and said the
trails once you get out of town are still in great shape. They did
recommend trialering out though. There is a lot of water and mud the
first few miles out of town. The snow is getting soft but there is
still 2-4′ in the woods and a 6-18″ base on the trails in the snow belt
to melt down yet. We are still grooming at night as long as the weather
will allow. Planning gas stops are a definite concern. If you don’t
mind trailering to a staging area and planning a loop that will return
you to your trailer before running out of gas you can still get in some
awesome riding. And if you are into 2 track riding, there is still lots
great riding there also. Riding from town to town and logging 200 miles
a day is done for the season.
We still have rooms left for the week-end for you diehards out there.
If you want to stay here at the Fox and are interested in some 2
tracking, Don said he will take a group out. (Due to a MSA meeting in
St. Ignace, he won’t be available on Sat.)
Don and Diane Reed
Fox River Motel
Old Fashion Hospitality All Year ‘Round
P.O. Box 91
Seney, MI 49883
(906) 499-3332, fax (906) 499-3248
www.foxrivermotel.com
——————————————–
Thursday March 25, 2004 7:15 a.m.
Its a very foggy 42 degrees out this morning. Snow
continues to melt but there is still lots in the woods.
Dave Klemish from lansing came up here yesterday with a
friend to get in a last ride. He said they did 80 miles
around lake margarethe and what they could do in the guard
camp and that they had a great ride. Thats what you have
to do now if you want to take a ride. Its supposed to stay
warm thru the weekend and the same story for the u.p.
Back to the stranded plane story, I picked up the pilots
yesterday morning about 10 and took them to the plane, the
mechanic was there already replacing the exciter. He said
the part was shipped in overnight from Atlanta,Ga. You
think carbides cost to much, that little part was $1800.00
plus the mechanic coming from the gaylord airport. By 11 they
had both engines roaring and they were off into the clouds
just barely after they left the runway. I was close to hopping
on with them just for the heck of it just to go for a ride in
it and figure out how to get back home after we hit Kansas,
but I stayed put. Its not like things are to busy here. So
thats the end of that story and I am off to frederic here
shortly. Thanks for checking in. Pete
—————————————-
Wednesday March 24, 2994 7:25 a.m.
Its a nice cool morning today and its clear and
dry out there. The new snow was pretty much gone by about
2 yesterday. By the way the lake still looks I am guessing
about April 20 by the time the ice is gone. I was informed
yesterday that I had some bad info on the race at otsego lake.
Apparently the plane that landed out there was one of the racers
and there were no tickets issued and the reason the plane stayed
there was because he wanted to. I trust what I hear to much sometimes
from people. This next part I had several emails on and believe
this is right but certainly not good news about 3 deaths this weekend
in the u.p……..
03/22/04 Snowmobiler killed in Mackinac County crash
By SCOTT BRAND/The Evening News
MORAN TOWNSHIP — A fatal accident in Mackinac County claimed the life
of a 38-year-old Romulus man on Saturday.
Richard Lee Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene following a 12:02
p.m. crash on the Soo Line Railroad Grade Snowmobile Trail near Kenneth
Road in Moran Township. According to reports from Michigan State Police
at the St. Ignace Post, Johnson was piloting a 2000 Ski-Doo and
traveling at a high rate of speed when he lost control of his machine
after hitting a dip in the trail. Johnson was ejected from the machine
and thrown into some nearby trees where he sustained the fatal injuries.
The investigation into this accident continues, but initial reports
identify speed as a factor. The weekend was a deadly one for Upper
Peninsula snowmobilers with at least two other fatal accidents reported.
Michigan State Police from the Stephenson Post are investigating the
death of a seven-year-old male following a snowmobile accident on
private property just west of Hermansville shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday.
In this incident, 32-year-old Robert Bal of Norway was driving a 1993
Arctic Cat on a private road with the young boy seated in front of him
when they came upon an unseen cable strung across the roadway. Reports
indicate the cable slid over the hood of the machine striking the child.
Bal, and another adult who was riding with him at the time of the crash,
transported the injured child to a nearby residence to call for help.
The child was transported by ambulance to Dickinson County Hospital, but
was pronounced dead while en route. Troopers had not released the name
of the deceased in this matter as of 9:30 a.m. today. The Michigan
Department of Natural Resources, Hermansville Rescue, Beacon Ambulance
and the Meyer Township Fire Department all assisted in this incident. In
the third fatal accident of the weekend, Arley Don Carlson, 40, of
Republic was killed when his 2003 Ski-Doo struck a tree Sunday night in
Marquette County. Michigan State Police from the Negaunee Post reported
Carlson was driving his machine across the Michagamme Basin towards
County Road LG when he struck the tree. The accident is believed to have
occurred at approximately 9:18 p.m. This accident remains under
investigation with troopers identifying speed as a factor in the crash.
Not the news we like to hear but now onto the filming from monday. The
plane came into the grayling airport right on time at 11:30. They had a
3 and a half hour flight from Kansas City, Mo. The plane is a Beechcraft
King Air. I was standing out in the parking area with my beagle Ellie
as they pulled up and I was wondering what her reaction would be to that
big thing. She was scared and hid behind me. She loves to try to chase sleds
and cars as they go by our house but she wasnt to sure about that. We got
unloaded and spent till 6 filiming with Charlie at his house. The guys spent
the night at my cottage and the pilots stayed at the holiday inn. First thing
yeterday morning the pilots called and said they couldnt leave because of the
snow and temps so they held off till about noon. I had gone and picked Haley
up from pre school so she could see the plane and watch them take off. We went
up in the plane and first thing she said was Wow Dad lots of Controls….
Anyways the plane was loaded and ready to go. We watched them fire up the right
engine and were wondering why the left one wasnt going. Pretty soon Ray shut it
down and the plane is still here this morning. We unloaded the cameras and bags
and the 2 camera men went on to grand rapids to catch a commercial flight home
and the pilots are still here waiting for a mechanic and part to get here to get
them on their way. I have never looked inside and engine of a plane like that but
it has 2 750 horse turbo, pratt & whitney engines. Both pilots have flown commercial
aircraft and they said they have never had a problem like that one before. I guess
just because they came to grayling it brought them that stroke of luck. So I am
off this morning to get them to the plane again and hopefully see them off. Thats
about it for now. Thanks for checking in. Pete
——————————————–
Tuesday March 23, 2004 7:30 a.m.
SNOW!!! Hard to believe but we had a new inch of nice
thick snow overnight and its still snowing. This wasnt
in the predictions and who knows if it will last all
day but it sure looks nice. Its all white again out there.
I had 2 emails this morning regarding 2 sledding deaths
from this weekend. One was a man from romulous (dont know
if thats how its spelled) who died in
the u.p. in moran township and the other one I dont know
about yet. That would put the total to 28 for this season
compared to 45 at this time last year. It was
a busy day all day yesterday with the camera crew and was
pretty interesting. I will write more on that later as I have
to meet them in 15 minutes.Thanks for checking in. Pete
—————————
Monday March 22, 2004 7:30 a.m.
Its a nice chilly ten degrees out there this morning
but no signs of any snow. That one inch of snow we got
yesterday really brought the sleds out. There were several
times I saw at least a dozen parked over at the swamp.
To bad the weather prediction is for 50s for friday. I am
not ready to say its over yet but its starting to look that
way. By friday it will be down to definetly off trail riding
only. People were still coming in talking about the races that
went on up at otsego lake. Apparently a guy with an airplane
saw the drag strip and thought it would be a good place to land.
He did and then got kind of confiscated by the dnr. They made
him stay grounded overnight and I guess he got some tickets and
fines for doing what he did. He also held up the races for a
couple hours. It was no emergency landing so I guess he was
in trouble for that. Today should prove to be an interesting
day for me. I have a friend that is producing some t.v. shows
on traditional bowhunting and he and his crew are coming here
today to do a segment on my old bowhunting friend Charlie. Charlie
is 85 now but bowhunted all over the world in his younger days.
The crew is flying up here from missouri, 2 pilots and 2 camera men,
and we have to go pick them up at the grayling airport at about 11:30
this morning. So more on this tommorow. Thanks for checking in. Pete
——————————————————
Sunday March 21, 2004 9:00 a.m.
We had an inch of new snowfall overnight. Its about
20 degrees out and snow is still in the air. At least
everything is all white again, for now. It was pretty
dead around frederic yesterday. There were a few sleds
out and about riding. People kept coming in and telling
me that there was some type of drag race going on up on
otsego lake. They said there were probably a couple
hundred people and a hundred sleds up there racing with
trucks and trailers parked out on the ice. I sure
would be leary of doing that. Thats about it for now so
thanks for checking in…Pete
——————————————-
Saturday March 20, 2004 9:30 a.m. frederican time
Vegas, Hemet,California, & Frederic. 3 of the great places
in the world and its great to be back here, to bad
its 42 degrees and most of the trails I looked at this
morning on the way here look pretty bad. There is still
lots of snow in the woods and lake margarethe is still
frozen over and white. I just had a couple in here that
said they rode a hundred miles yesterday and are going
out to ride 2 tracks around here in frederic. When we
got back last night it was blowing hard and sleeting and
turning to snow but nothing stuck. I cant believe we
had made it thru the whole month of march without any
major storm, maybe its still coming. I had
an email from Mike in Hemet last night and Cathy and
I laughed pretty hard after we read it so I figured what
the heck I would share it with you…….Here goes…
Pete and Cathy landed in Hemet on Monday night 3/15/04.
The weather has been unusually warm for this time of year
and the Kocefas Clan enjoyed the hospitality of our hot spa
every night of their visit. Pete being freshly off of a new
diet proceeded to eat everything that he obstained from for
the last two months. (In fact today he drank his first Mountain
Dew in months.)On Tuesday March 16 the Mendoza-Morningstar clan
and the clan Kocefas went to Disney’s California Adventure.
Silly me I thought that the park would be more adult oriented
then Disneyland. It was not and Pete proceeded to show me all
about all of the latest Disney animated cartoon shows for kids.
Showing all of the macho bravado of the avid snowmobiler that
he is Pete proceeded to get sick on the one and only roller
coaster that we rode. Wednesday March 17 was spent showing Pete
and Kathy some of our local hotspots. We showed him the new
reservoir, a mountain park and a grungy local hangout known
as Chappies. Your fearless leader aka “the Golden Greek” needed
to obtain a souvenir of the local Irish Holiday. He came back with
a sweatshirt that would make the Frederic faithful swoon with envy.
It is almost time to go as the Grayling clan is hitting the spa again
for the final time before their return to Sin City (aka Las Vegas).
I would like to thank Pete and Cathy for being such wonderful house
guests. It must be a sledheads thing but with all of their outdoor
training we did not run out of toilet paper even once. Maybe it comes
from Pete’s experience with bears in the woods and using pine cones
and things as substitutes. They arrived in a convertible hardly worthy
of a man who owned that fabulous green machine seen on the sledheads
promotional video. Pete assured me that this was a poor substitute
for that fire breathing 1962 Corvette that he hiding in the back of
the shop.Anyway guys it was great to see you again have a safe trip
home. Next time bring the girls and plan to stay longer.
(the Mendoza-Morningstar Clan)
———————————–
Friday March 19, 2004 6:30 a.m. pacific time
I just checked in with frederic, no new snow and about
32 out…I think there will still be some diehards out
tommorow. We are back in las vegas after a great 300
mile drive across the mojave desert. I love that little
convertible I am driving, cruising with the top down
my hair flying in the wind…..well what little I do
have. I didnt have a room reserved in vegas last night
when we got in town and found that everyplace I tried
was booked solid and if they did have one they were
175 and up….I didnt like that to much, so I ended
up driving 35 miles back to the california/nevada
border and got a nice room for 27.95, heck this room
is better than the one that was a 100.00 last week.
We pulled out of hemet from connie and mikes about 9
yesterday……Thanks alot to them, and it was a great
time too….So anyways I have to quit blabbing and
head for the airport. Back to frederic in the morning,
if you do come up north come in and say hi…Thanks
for checking in. Pete & Cathy
—————–
Thursday March 18, 2004 7:00 a.m. pacific time
Another beautiful california morning here. It
was a great 95 degrees yesterday and we pretty
much just hung out by the pool and saw some sights
around the valley here. I was surprised at when I
got out of the pool that all the water is evaporated
off you with in about a minute. Hemet is surrounded
by mountains and the city is down low in the middle.
We went up to check out the all new Diamond Valley
Lake that was just recentley completed as a water
supply. They did it by building 3 dams between the
mountains and filling it with water. Its about 25
miles around 260 feet deep and fully stocked with
fish. It took 5 years to fill it up with water.
The website for the lake is www.dvlake.com We
should all be glad to live and play in northern
michigan, on the way in towards L.A. on tuesday
I got to witness first hand what smog over the
big city looks like. I sure wouldnt want to breath
that in all the time. Just give me some 2 stroke
fumes with no smog. We were supposed to be on the
plane and out of here this morning but we extended
it by a day. Its just to darn nice here. We had
a nice little happy hour over at Bernie
Morningstars place last night and I think he is
going to be a new regular reader on the page here.
He is 80 years young and pretty swift on the computer.
To Puttsy in Florida, Rhonda says Hi…..
I just talked to the shop in frederic and its cloudy
and misty looking there and about 32 degrees. Its supposed
to get colder and snow but no great amounts since last
weekend. Off trail is still the best choice I think. I had
an email from Diane in Seney and she says its still fabulous
up there, hopefully I can make a trip up there to ride again
next week. Thanks for checking in. Pete & Cathy………..
Wednesday March 17, 2004 7:45 a.m. pacific time
Happy ST. Patricks Day!! I just got off the phone
with Pam from Terrys Sport Center checking on the
conditions in Grayling. She said it has stayed nice
and cold and that the snow is still supposed to be
coming. Sleds were riding yesterday. She said
if you look at the parking lot on 72 that it is
all dirt but in looking down at the trail its still
white. My call is that riding conditions havent changed
much since last weekend. You will still be able to ride
this weekend but just dont expect great trails. There is
still lots of snow in the woods. Thats about the best
I can do on a trail update for now. We are still here
in hemet and went into anaheim yesterday to the new
disney park, California Adventure. That was fun
and nice but I have to say Cathy & I felt bad being at
a place like that without our girls. I am kind of a wimp
and cant handle roller coasters to well. I did the one
big one and felt woozy the rest of the day. As the night
came at the park the cool winds started blowing in off the
pacific and we were pretty chilly by the time we got
back to the car. We just rolled out of bed and finally got
a nice nights sleep.It a really pretty morning here with
lots of birds chirping and a great view of the snow capped
mountains as we sat outside talking. Mike & Connie are great
hosts…..I dont know what happened on yesterday update,
why those words stretch out so long in that one spot, I saw
it but couldnt get them back where they belong. Thanks for
checking in. Pete & Cathy..
———————————
Tuesday March 16, 2004 12:00 a.m. pacific time
All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray. I went for a walk on a winters day, I ‘d be
safe and warm if I was in L.A., California Dreamin on a winters day. I think thats how the
words go. Coming at you just east of L.A. in the beautiful valley city of Hemet. Thats
about 40 miles west of palm springs and 80 miles east of L.A. We went to the trade
show this morning and blew thru that in a few hours and decided we needed to go
back to the Red Rock Canyon to see what we missed out on last night. What a
gorgeous drive thru there. As we came out on the far end of the canyon being the
explorer that I am I figured I would just turn west and head toward L.A. We ened
up coming into a town of Pahrump which is just about on the nevada and california
border. From there we took a mountain pass which has to rival the grand canyon,
what breathtaking views and turns thru that. It was about 50 miles of nothing but
mountains. As we came to the edge of those mountains we were right at the edge
of Death Valley. We ended up coming out in Baker, Ca. and right on the corner was a cool
looking greek place calle the Mad Greek. Of course I had to go in there and buy
a t shirt for myself. In vegas all the gas was around 2.09 a gallon. I wish I would have
got gas there cause in Baker it was $2.65 a gallon. I about had a heart attack on that.
Anyways we pressed on towards L.A. and got here to Hemet after a great drive. We
are here to visit our friends that used to live in grayling. For those of you who are in
grayling you might remember the Morningstar girls, Janice,Rhonda, & Connie. We are
here at Connie’s house and her husband Mike the Mexican. He wanted me to try and hit
his pinata but we didnt get to that. We just came in after a few hours out
in their hot tub. The stars were out in force and it was great out there. So everybody else
is in bed now and as usual here I am at the computer. I heard on the radio on the way
into here that Big Bear just north of San Bernadino has had 2 to 3 feet of snow in
the past couple weeks. The last time I was out here years ago I went skiing up there.
I tried to talk everybody into going up there tommorow to go riding sleds but it seems
like I am the only one that wants to do that. As we came thru Barstow tonight it reminded
me of my old buddie Charlie that I talk about sometimes on here. He is an old time bowhunter
and used to belong to the desert bowhunters in barstow 50 some years ago. He hunted
jack rabbits in the mojave desert with the old greats of bowhunting like, Nubbie Pate,
Howard Hill and Hugh Rich. Funny how things like that come to mind as you pass
thru a place. So I guess thats enough blabbing for this morning, Its almost 1 now
and 4 in frederic and we are going to do something fun today, just dont know what
that is yet. I just checked my emails and here is one I am posting……
Pete this is a post that Nancy from Newberry posted today on trailconditions.com from more idiots on the trails running the ambulance off the trails.
This is absoultely nuts Please post this on your site as these idiots are going to ruin it for the rest of us!!!!!!
NEW: Re: GM SENEY PARADISE NEWBERRY ???
Saturday, 13 March 2004, at 8:54 p.m.
Lots of people up here riding this weekend. Every sledder I talked to who went North and South had very good rides. Getting north of Newberry most are trailering out to save on their carbides. The only complaints were towards the end of the day the trails were getting pretty beat up but they all said nothing that wouldn’t groom out. This morning we were 0* and did finally hit 30 by the middle of the day. The sun was out and making mush of the streets but the trails never got slushy. Tonight we are cold again and we have received about 2-3 inches of fresh snow. Hopefully if this keeps coming we will have excellent trails tomorrow and maybe even the streets will be covered for riding…we will see!
You will have to be very careful up here, lots of crazies this weekend getting in one last ride, and several accidents both Friday and Saturday I know of about 6-7 people who are now done for the year. My hubby was responding to an accident with the rescue sled (you can’t miss it, flashing red and white strobe surround the snowmobile and pulling a big rescue tobbogan and not going over 30mph as to not upset his equipment, was run off the trail and then while on the scene had 3 sledders run through the scene at a high rate of speed, causing EMS to have to move out of their way. You must realize we on the EMS are all volunteers, and do this out of the kindness of our hearts, but my hubby is done. Yesterday is said he will no longer repond to any snowmobile wrecks, and you know what, he doesn’t have to. Our ambulance responds with 2 on call persons, they have to show up, but they also rely on several volunteers to show up and drive the rescue sled and help load up the patient If you scare off all of the EMS volunteers I guess you will have to walk out to the ambulance, because no one wants to risk their life to come out on the trail and pick you off the tree.
Please be careful, know what is around the corner, slow down when you come to an accidentor even stop. use some common sense out there while riding.
Pete again here, the lady that wrote this is I believe in newberry , if anybody would like
to write her on this her adress is nancys@portup.com Thanks for checking in. Pete & Cathy
—————————————
Monday March 15, 2004 6:00 a.m. Pacific Time
It was a full and fun day checking out the sights in
vegas yesterday. We went thru M & M world, and countless
shops up and down the strip. We rented a car and took a ride
out and around red rock canyon. There is snow on the mountain
tops but it was 80 most of the day. We found an old western town
called bonnie springs and it was a neat place to see, we had a
nice time just sitting by there cozy campfire. Lots of people
go there to ride horses and there is alot of rock climbing going on
in red rock canyon. It just amazes me how many people are here and what
they have for disposable income to be able to afford some of the things
out here. I picked up a purse in a store, nothing looking to fancy and
only about 10 inches long, price tag $840. A cab driver
told me that last month Pavoroti was in town and every night he was
sold out and the cheapest seats were $800. Boy I sure feel like a poor
frederic boy. You know how much spam you can buy with $800.
The jet lag caught up with us last night and we were pretty whipped by 8.
The sun is coming up right now over the desert mountains and I am going
out for a nice morning walk and maybe hit the pool. There was a
couple new inches of snow in the frederic area on sunday and in looking
at the forcast this week just off the weather tab on the update page
it looks like snow coming almost everyday.I just talked to my friend in
frederic and a couple more inches are out there for this morning.
Lets just keep our fingers crossed. Thanks for chekcing in.
VIVA LAS VEGAS Pete & Cathy
————————–
Sunday March 14, 2004 7:24 a.m. Pacific Time
Coming at you this morning from Polaris Blvd at the Holiday Inn Express. I tried to find one
on arctic at blvd but no luck. Actually Cathy & I are in Las Vegas. We left T.C. yesterday
afternoon and got here at 8 last night vegas time which is 3 hours behind time. We are here for
a trade show tommorow. Its for advertising specialties that I sell the rest of the year when there
is no snow. During the rest of the year I sell screenprinting,embroidery, do signs and then
the advertising things such as anything to promote a business, pens, coffee, mugs, frisbes,
just anything with a business name. Its nice and warm and sunny out here this morning and we
are going to go explore the town. We went to New York casino and had dinner and MGM, we are
no fans of gambling or casinos but it is fun to go check things out. I checked in at the shop this
morning and its about 32 there with just a skiff of new wet snow overnight. So we are off
to check out the big city here. Thanks for checking in and we really are on Polaris Blvd. Pete & Cathy
Saturday Noon
Nice and sunny out and still below 32. Its about 28 out
and there have been quite a few sleds in. The gaylord
groomer did run all the way here to frederic and everybody
says that trail is great, unlike most of the others around
here. For some reason or another the power is out over
in the lovells and lewiston area. So at least it looks
like a great day of riding and if the storms hold true
for sunday night and monday that can only make it look
better for next weekend……Pete
Saturday March 13, 2004 8:30 a.m.
It was a beautiful sunrise shining thru the sparkling
frosty trees this morning at Lake Margarethe. At 2
degrees its pretty crunchy out there. There was one lone
snowmobile track heading out across the powder on the
lake and it would have made a great picture. All the ice
shanties are gone from out there and it looked pretty serene.
I think monday is the day all the shanties have to be off.
Anyways I wouldnt advise anybody to head out onto a lake but
it sure looked nice. So anyways it snowed all day yesterday with
howling winds. Even though it snowed all day we only ended up with
a couple more inches. All the trails and crossing I looked at this
morning are nice and white and for the way things have been
look not that bad. There are bumps but it doesnt look like a snow
cross track….everybody that came in here said yesterday that they
are amazed how much snow is still here. I still say its knee deep
in the fields. The arctic cat show was o.k. last night. I have to
say this is the first time in years I wasnt even excited about the
show. I do like the looks of the new orange f 7 but I sure would love
an orange turbo 660. So thats about it for today. Thanks for checking
in and Please Ride Safely. Pete
————————————-
Friday March 12, 2004 6:45 a.m.
This is what I like to see outside, its about 15 degrees
out and light snow in the air. We had about an inch and a
half since last night. It did cool down fast yesterday to
about 20 and it started snowing hard about 2. Total we have
had about 2 new inches and the snow this morning is a fluffy
lake effect snow. It doesnt really make a great base but it
sure has brightend everything up and will put some lube on
the rough trails for your slides. At least it gives us a little
chance to ride. It is supposed to stay cold and windy thru tommorow.
I had an email yesterday from someone asking me
about the turbo 660 cat I was riding. I meant to put that on yesterday
but kind of forgot. I would trade the thunder chicken in an instant
for that t660. A super smooth quiet and as much power as you could
possibly want in a machine. I loved the suspension even with my slim
built body on it. It had mirrors on the windshield and that was a big
plus to see what was behind me even though I always ride with a hand
mirror. I have a 2003 660 4 stroke as one of my rental sleds and although
it is quiet and a nice machine to ride there is no comparison to the t660.
Besides the fact that they get twice the gas mileage of most sleds. Try
going 165 miles on a tank on a 2 stroke…..heck I dont recommend that
on a 4 stroke and I am sure glad we didnt have a long walk off lake
superior. Death number 26 has happened up in Houghton County. A 50 year
old man and his daughter were broke down with their sled and they were
hit by another sled. The father was killed. Last year at this time there
were 40 deaths so at least the count is down. I also didnt point out
yesterday that at Shirleys in Hulbert they feed the deer over 2000
pounds of feed per day…thats alot of work. They do have a feed donation
jug in there so if you go in throw them a few bucks. I also was directed to
a site where there is this posting about the trail situation in paradise, I am
still not sure exactly what this is supposed to mean but I am posting it here…
Paradise Town Trail Notice
As with many communities, alternative routes to businesses by passing residential areas are being sought.
For safety reasons, trails are being rerouted behind towns, allowing access to gas, food, etc. yet avoiding
neighborhoods. This is what is happening in Paradise. For sometime now, planning has been done to provide
a trail directly along the back (west) side of town. As for the closing of the south end of the town trail, the
permits for us to groom along Hwy. M123 on MDOT’s right-of-way are applied for by the DNR to MDOT
The decision to apply or not and to except or decline are made by the above departments
.Roxann Roth , Director Paradise Grooming Operations
Thats about it for now. Thanks for checking in and PLEASE RIDE SAFELY!!! Pete
———————————-
Thursday March 11, 2004 9:30 a.m.
Its sunny and 35 degrees here in frederic. We had about
an inch and a half of new snowfall overnight and the
weatherman is calling for another inch or 2 during the
day today. How thats gonna happen at 35 degrees I dont
know so as usual we will wait and see. The forcast is not
calling for more snow till sunday and monday and that
says “major storm”. Off trail riding here is still pretty darn
good and there is still snow, slush and ice in parts of the
regular trails. If you think you want to ride here this weekend
I would say use the regular trails to try to hit the 2 tracks and
just stay on the side to keep your slides lubed. Its still possible
to have a fun ride out there but you will have to work for it. Dont
expect to see any groomers as without a big pile of snow they
wont be out. I have been forgetting to say that the new arctic
cat show is at the grayling holiday inn tommorow evening.
No hospitality room this year, my buddy bob and I decided to sit
this one out this year. I do plan on going to the show and just
check things out. Now on to the fun part about the rest of
our ride yesterday.
We left seney about 9 a.m. and headed onto pinestump junction.
Trails still great all the way. From there on to rainbow lodge at
the 2 hearted river. I always like that stop. If you have never been
there before they run entirely on generators and propane gas lights.
They have a little cafe and it was about 10:30 so I thought it was a
great time to try out their home made apple pie. On towards paradise
from there. Somehow I got off the trail and turned around out toward
lake superior and came out to the waters edge so we ran the lake shore
down to white fish point, which is where are real problems began. We
got off at the light house and went down the road toward paradise and
found where the trail went back into the woods. We went a ways and
dead end, turned around and back out to the road and ditched it for
a ways to the next trail down and took that, bumpy and not groomed
forever and then all of a sudden after at least an hour on it we were back
to lake superior at a point way west of white fish point. I thought we could
ride west to try to find the spot we got on at the first time but as I looked down
at the gas gauge I was down to 2 bars on it and so was Ben on his. We stopped
and decided that being on the lake superior shoreline and out of gas wasnt
a good situation so about as far off to the east as I could see was whitefish
point again. We decided to head back for the point and try and take that
road back to paradise which would have been 13 miles of dry sliding from
the point but at least if we ran out of gas we would be on a road where there
were cars. Once we got back to the point instead of hitting the road we decided
to stick to the lake shore down to paradise. We made it all the way there
and each had a gallon to spare. Good thing we were both riding 4 strokes as
we hadnt gotten gas since the night before in grand marais and we had
gone 165 miles on that tank. By then it was 3 oclock and we were both
starving so we went into the Yukon Inn for a yukon burger. Thats when
we learned that what used to be “paradise” to snowmobiler is turning from
a snowmobilers dream to a nightmare. Paradise has lost their trail thru
town. Now if you want to go south thru town you have to ride 4 miles
west and then back in 4 miles east to get you just 1 mile south. Kind
of the way it was in grayling when there was no thru trail town. And the
police are sitting there passing out 80 dollar tickets if you do ride thru
town. The trails we were on up by whitefish point are gone too but they
didnt take the signs down. All these trails are gone because of property
owners complaining about sleds on there property and irresponsible
snowmobilers riding where they shouldnt be. We met the president
of the newly formed snowmobile club the Paradise Area Night Riders.
Her name is Chic and she works in the Yukon Inn. She seemed to be just
the right person for that job. Serious and passionate about getting the
snowmobile problem remedied in Paradise. Businesses are suffering
there because of the closures and there is a restaurant on the far south
end that was a regular favorite of people to go to but its not very convienient
to have to ride all that way to get there. It makes it tough on everybody
there. I have been riding in paradise since the early 80s and that was
always the ultimate place to go but now because of the few bad ones
it has to be spoiled for everyone. If you want more info on this you can
call Chic at 906-492-3505 or go into the Yukon and tell her I sent you in.
Paradise area still is grooming many regular trails and they were still
all great, we just had the bad luck of getting on the ones that were not
on their list anymore. I sure wish they would have taken those signs down.
So anyways we left paradise and headed on down to hulbert. Still a
great ride and went to Shirleys there. I have always heard about this
place but never been there. As we were coming down the trail there
was a sign that said deer crossing. I have never seen so many deer in
my whole life. Litterally hundreds of them standing, grazing, laying, and
running everywhere. They feed them there at Shirleys and you can sit
at a table in there and they are right outside the window just inches from
you. A really neat thing to see. From hulbert on to trout lake and run
the railroad grade all the way back to st ignace by castle rock where
we were parked. It was another big orange beautiful u.p. sunset just
as we were getting back to the truck. 374 miles of beautiful u.p. riding.
Overall I would rate the trails we rode at an 8. We had a couple spots
that were bad but hey its march and its been to darn warm. You just
cant plan a trip like this one. It just has to happen when people say it
right to go. Thank goodness I get to hear from people that stop in here
on there way back from up there. You just have to drop what you are doing
and go do it…..Thanks for checking in and Please Ride Safely……Pete
Wednesday March 10, 2004 8:30 a.m.
Coming at you this morning from the most hospitable spot
in the u.p., the Fox River Motel in Seney. Don & Diane take
care of everybody super well here. Right after I did yesterdays
update 2 guys came in and were raving about how great the trails
were in the u.p. and I couldnt stand it anymore. I called my friend
Ben and said lets head north. On my suspension check of the thunder
chicken I noticed I had a broken shock so Ben said I could ride his
extra sled. So we were on our way and by 2 we were in st. ignace and
unloaded by castle rock heading out on the trail. By 4 we were in newberry
and I called Don at the motel. He met us out on the trail between newberry
and Seney and took us thru some incredible trails to get us a short cut
to Grand Marais. Don rides a mountain max with 2 inch paddles and riding
behind him is like being behind a giant pop corn popper. Stay back 500 feet
or get peppered with big snow chunks. When he gets ahead farther than that
it looks just like a big cloud of snow going down the trail. We split off with
Don and headed on to grand marais ourselves and got gas and dinner at the Lake
Superior Brewing Company.As we rode into Seney there were at least 15 deer in
the park along lake superior and the sunset was a beautiful orange over the
west end of the lake. It was 8 by the time we headed back to Seney and when we
stopped on the trail it was so pitch black out but there were a million stars
in the sky. A nice cool crisp night. We were about 3 miles out of Seney when I
locked up the brakes because I thought a deer was jumping in front of me. By
the time I realized it wasnt a deer I missed it and it brushed against my leg.
It was a coyote. At least I missed it. When we got here to the motel we had
a great run of 169 miles. The sled I am riding is a new turbo 660 arctic cat.
What a great riding sled. SMooth and plenty of power. We are heading out
right now for hopefully another great day of riding. Right now our plan is
to head for pinestump, 2 hearted river, rainbow lodge, paradise, hulbert, trout
lake and back to st ignace to the truck. I will give the update again tommorow.
Diane is getting to do her trail report for seney next so if anybody is interested
in reading that you can go to www.fishweb.com/recreation/snowmobile/reports/snow-seney
You might have to copy and paste that link…..If you want to stay at the fox
river motel you can call them at 906-499-3332. O.k. we are out of here and out to the
trail again……Thanks for checking in. Pete
——————————————————-
Its sunny and 32 degrees here in frederic. Nothing
exciting to report except that the prediction for
thursday is 2 to 5 inches. There have been a few sleds
around that are die hards. Many times on the way up here
during the winter I see people at the intersections with
their maps out trying to figure out where they are. I saw
a new one today. A guy with his michigan map out sitting
on the corner on his bicycle stacked high with gear. He
must have known he was close to grayling but was looking
which way to go. We have to get one more blast of winter
in here….. One thing that I forgot to report on sunday
was that the gaylord groomer did come thru here. Thanks
for checking in and do some snow chanting….MO MO NAH
CHEE CHEE NAH….Pete
—————————————–
Monday March 8, 2004 7:44 a.m.
Its about 26 degrees out and we had just a skiff of
snow overnight. That beautiful 3 inches we had yesterday
turned pretty slushy by afternoon because it made it in
to the upper 40’s again. There were some sleds out and about
but not alot. Everybody that stopped in on their way home from
the u.p. was raving about how great it was up there.. I talked
to Diane in Seney on saturday and she said things were just
about excellent as they had recently had 12 inches. We could
only be so lucky down here in the l.p. If you didnt read
yesterdays update be sure to read it and the letter from
the mans wife who was killed on Feb 21 out by the west trail
head on m-72. Thanks for checking in. Pete
——————–
Sunday March 7, 2004 10:00 a.m.
3 inches of beautiful white packy snow fell overnight
and its just what we needed to bring riding back. Its
35 out and wow was I surprised this morning to see this.
Cathy & I went out last night and got home at 2 and there
was no signs of any kind of snow coming down. Who knows if
this will stay for long but if you were here right now to ride
its the perfect time to do it. I would say I probably had 15 to
20 sleds ride into here yesterday but other than that town was
pretty empty here. We went to gaylord last night to see the
new Starsky & Hutch movie and at dinner we ran into the Tiede
Bunch from Woody’s. They were all in gaylord for the snow cross
race. They said there weren’t many spectators at the races and
that racing was going on again today. Apparently because of lack
of snow where other races were scheduled they are bringing them
to gaylord for the next couple of weekends. I have known all those
Tiede kids since they were little and now it seems funny to see them
grown up and doing snow cross racing. As I find out more about
the race schedule I will post it. Thanks for checking in. Pete
It is now 10:20 and I just read this email and am adding this….
I am the widow of the man who died on Saturday, February 21, 2004 at
2:30 PM. Today was the first day I was able to read the postings
from your website. Over the last 12 days, I have been told they were
there, but it was terribly painful to “read” about the last moments
of my loving husband’s life.I would like to start by thanking you,
Kevin for your posting. I wish with all my heart that the accident
hadn’t happened and that you wouldn’t have had to witness it.Next, I
want to tell you all about my husband, so that the speculations will
stop. The lectures about alcohol and speed do not apply to this
situation. They have their place, but not in his story. My husband
was an amazing man. He was a great husband and an even better dad
to our 2 young children. He has been snowmobiling as long as I have
known him. I have to admit, I wasn’t crazy about him riding in the
beginning. I was scared for his safety, he was gone lots of weekends,
and he spent a small fortune on his machines. However, he loved to
ride and he was good at it! Over the years, those who rode with him
would comment on what a “great rider” he was. I always was told that
he was the one taking care of the pack. Whether it was making sure
his diabetic friend’s sugar levels were okay, navigating the trails,
or making sure those around him were safe, he was always watching
out for others. So, I learned to shut my mouth and let him do what
he loved to do. While I have searched and prayed for a reason why
this would happen to him, I have no explanation other than it was
probably the care and concern he was showing for his fellow riders
(his father and close friend) that had gotten separated from him
that made him turn his head back. He took riding very seriously.
He never drank and rode, and while he may have enjoyed speed, he
never put himself or others in danger to achieve it. If he wanted
to ride fast, he went to the U.P. and hit an open field. He loved
us all very much and would never have traded his life for a little
speed. He rode a REV and rode standing up always. He said it gave
him better visibility and even as a non-snowmobiler, I have to
admit…he was beautiful to watch ride. He was always in control and
he truly seemed ‘one with his sled’. I am telling you this because,
this accident could have happened to anyone of you. No matter how
safe, talented or smart you are, ACCIDENTS HAPPEN. If you choose to
continue to ride, be smart, be safe, and never forget to tell your
family how much they mean to you before you go. My last conversation
with my husband was at 9:02 am on that morning. He called to tell me
and the kids he loved us, to see what was in store for our day and to
let us know he was heading out to ride. I will mourn his loss everyday
for the rest of my life. He was a good man and any of you would have
been honored to ride with him.
———————————————–
Saturday March 6, 2005 9:30 a.m.
Its 28 degrees here in frederic and there was an ever
so slight dusting of snow overnight. I set a record in
here yesterday. 1 person came in during the whole 8 hours
I was here. I can see it now, it wont be long till the
spam truck is backing up to the door. Things have firmed
up since yesterday but there are very few sleds around the
motels in grayling this morning. I dont know much about it
but I guess a snow cross race that was scheduled in muskegon
got moved to gaylord and is going on today & tommorow. Dont
have a clue what circuit it is. So I will stay put here and
see what the day brings. I guess the u.p. got a fair amount
of snow and it sounds like things are still going up there.
Thanks for checking in….Pete
—————————————-
Friday March 5, 2004 9:00 a.m.
I was up at about 3 this morning and was thrilled to
see it was snowing out and that we had about 2 inches.
At 7 when I was finally up for good the snow had turned
to big fat hard rain and now its finally letting up. Its
a wet slushy mess out there. Schools over most of northern
michigan are closed this morning and from the way the
weather looked on the news this morning the u.p. is getting
good snow. Snow is back in our forcast for tonight and
tommorow but we need some real cold to firm up the slush bowl
we have going. I had 2 different groups of people stop here
on their way to the u.p. yesterday and I am sure there will
be more today. One girl that was in here with one of those
groups opened up my cigar box with the free key chains in it
and screamed and jumped so loud that she definetly wins the
loud screamer award and to top that off she said she even wet
her pants….(thats a first). My friend Jim and his son Zach
came up here yesterday and we went out on a nice 20 mile ride
to shoot some more video for the dvd. This will be the 4th time
we have changed things in it. As we watch it we keep thinking of
things to add to it. I got buried in the snow trying to head up
a hill and that was no fun trying to dig my sled out of that. We
also went up to Happi Days Diner to get some footage of that
place because the video is about frederic in general and that
is a unique place that people dont think about to often plus
they have good food. So back to the editing table again. If you
plan on riding here this weekend there will be plenty of puddles
out there to lube your slides. I still stick with almost 18 inches
out there in the untouched snow but it sure is a heck of alot wetter
this morning that it was yesterdays ride.Also for any of you archery
fans out there today in grayling is Fred Bear Day. It would be his
102nd birthday and this day is seen as a tribute to his many
accomplishments here. Thanks for checking in. Pete
—————————————————
Thursday March 4, 2004 10:45 a.m.
I just came in and its another dark cloudy day and 34
degrees out. On the way here the radio said that its
supposed to hit 50 tommorow with rain. Who knows what
will really happen. Like I said yesterday there is still
plenty of snow off trail and you can use the trails to get
to other 2 tracks but you might have to get to the sides of
them to lube your slides. The snowstorm kind of disapeared
that they were predicting for this weekend.
Thats about it for now. Thanks for checking in. Pete
——————————————–
Wednesday March 3, 2004 10:45 a.m.
I just walked back in for a nice little 15 mile
ride. Its 40 out and cloudy but no signs of rain.
I rode the trail north up to bradford lake, its rough
and dirty in spots but no worse than a late saturday
afternoon. I rode the trail from north end grocery up
to batterson road and that was much rougher than the old
27 one. They are both hard and icy and very dirty. Now off
those trails what a different story. I still have to put it
at just about still awsome. Almost 18 inches still in spots
and I had the thunder chicken just screaming to make it thru
and was worried about getting stuck. I turned off at batterson
and went down to Happi Days Diner for breakfast and then brought
the shoulder of 27 back to the shop. The weather man has now
shifted the forcast for the weekend to snow mix and rain for the
l.p. and still heavy snow for the eastern u.p. but of course he
thru in that it could change. If you want to ride this weekend
I would expect bumpy trails but anywhere you can hit 2 tracks is
still excellent. I know for sure that grayling is not running their
groomers and I would guess its the same for gaylord. So that
what it looks like for now. THanks for checking in. Pete
———————————————–
Tuesday March 2, 2004 9:30 a.m.
Another 40 degree morning here. It rained alot
yesterday and was still 42 at 8 last night. I always
say in the summer how dead a town frederic is and the
only thing that comes thru frederic then is horses
and harleys. Well I have seen 6 harleys riding thru
town already. The bright side to this is that the weather
is now calling for snow on friday and heavy snows on
saturday. I dont know if it will come true or not but
at least it sounds good. You know how that weather guy
can be. I have had several letters from parents regarding
the safety class and I thought I would put one of them
on here……….
Dear Pete,
I want to say Thank You for having the class on Saturday. We were the
ones first to be there with the kids and told them no question is a dumb
question.
Well I have to tell you just how surprised we were to find out they
learned more then the rules of the trails and so on.
To make them learn about the machine and helping other’s and showing
them
just what can happen to them really left a big impression on my kids ”
when
they saw the sled in the accident and the young gentleman that was
injured
for life. Wont leave there minds for a very long time. As much as we
tried
to tell them seeing it makes a big difference.
On Sunday we took the kids out on the sled’s and trying to pull it all
together they found out it is just not that easy as they thought as a
passenger.
I just want to say Thank you again. There are to many people out there
that just don’t care if kids or even adults learn the right way.
May God bless you and all the men that help teach the kids and keep up
the
good work……
Thanks for checking in. Pete
—————————————
Monday March 1, 2004 10:30 a.m.
Its cloudy and 40 degrees out this morning. It was up
to 48 yesterday and it was to nice for winter. I had
both of my big garage doors open in the back room here.
I had reports from 2 different people on a group of 6
guys around the gaylord area out riding in boxer shorts.
One thing I forgot to say about the safety class was that
the frederic fire department brought over their snowmobile
rescue trailer and showed everybody thru that and also told
them about a call they just came back from where a guy had
just bought a new sled the day before spent 4 hours on it and
ended up with a serious possible broken back injury. They
also brought in a local teenager who is disabled now from a crash
a few years ago over on the lewiston grade trail. His arm is
permantly in a sling and he was lucky to live thur his ordeal.
I would like to thank all those that atteneded including Mark
Gleason the instructer who volunteered his time to come here from
T.C. to teach the class and also a big thanks to the crawford county
sheriff department. This is the 3rd class conducted by them this season
with about 150 students recieveing their certificates.
I was late getting in here this morning as I had to go return the
tables and chairs from the class, but I dont think I missed anything.
Thats about all the news from up here, we need a good hard blast
of winter right now. MO MO NAH CHEE CHEE NAH!!!
Sunday February 29, 2004 10:30 a.m.
Happy Leap year to everyone, its a nice 43 degrees and
sunny out there this morning. It still awful nice out there
on alot of the trails. I couldnt believe how white everything
was that I looked at on the way up here. I saw dirt on some of
the turns along 93 but other than that a great patch of white
down all the crossings. Just had people in here that said the trail
was groomed from grayling to manistee river road and very nice.
Roads are way dry and so are parking lots except mine which looks
more like the site of a mud bog. The campfire is still going outside
from yesterday. Alot of the kids from the safety class roasted up
some marshmallows out there and they all passed the course. I even
had a couple phone calls yesterday morning on the class but it had
alreday been going a couple hours so they will have to wait for a
different day. I also just got a call from my buddy jack in grayling and
he wanted to sign up his 2 friends from ohio that he rode to the u.p.
a couple weeks ago saying that they definetly need a refresher course.
I have extra of the safety books here that they passed out during
the class. If you want one just ask when you come in. I have never
seen those books before and they are printed by the dnr. They should
make those available everywhere. Thats about it for today so thanks
for checking in and Please Ride Safely. Pete
